Feedstock analysis, for example crude oil assay, is an important analysis that is typically performed before feedstocks are purchased for or refined in an oil refinery. Typically, an oil refinery will refine a large number of different feedstocks, including different crude oils, and blends of crude oils, each of which may differ in a number of important properties. In order to ascertain the optimum conditions for refining of each feedstock and to evaluate the potential value of a feedstock, such as the product yields, qualities and values obtainable, and the potential effects on the refining process of said feedstock, such as corrosion or deposition, often a large number of properties need to be analysed.
Traditionally, this has been a time-consuming analysis, requiring a relatively large volume of material and taking 1-2 weeks to produce a full set of analysis (assay) data. It is not uncommon for feedstocks to be purchased without a full assay being available to the purchaser, and, hence, the purchaser must make a number of assumptions on the value of the feedstock, for example, for a crude oil this may be based on knowledge of previous crude oils from similar regions.
It would be advantageous if a refinery feedstock analysis, preferably a full assay, were rapidly available to the potential purchaser or refinery operator.
In addition, rapid analysis of products of refinery processes is also desirable. Such products include intermediates in the overall refinery process, bitumen, products from the overall refinery process which are subsequently used as chemical feedstocks and products from the overall refinery process which are subsequently used as fuels or lubricants, or as blending components for fuels or lubricants, as well as the fuels (e.g. aviation, gasoline, diesel and marine fuels) and lubricants themselves. In addition, rapid analysis of formulated products, fuels and lubricants is desirable, for example at a terminal, at a pipeline, in the distribution system, or at a point of sale. Descriptions of refinery processes, and the products therefrom, are well-known to the person skilled in the art, and are described, for example, under the chapter entitled “Oil Refining”, by Walther W. Irion and Otto S. Neuwirth, in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, published by Wiley.
Our earlier copending application no. PCT/US2005/033240 describes a portable apparatus for analysis of a refinery feedstock or a product of a refinery process, said apparatus comprising:
(a) a first analytical device for determination of the boiling point profile of a refinery feedstock or a product of a refinery process, and
(b) at least two further analytical devices each of which contains or is associated with a database and an algorithm, at least one of said devices being adapted for determination of the density of the refinery feedstock or product of a refinery process, and at least one of said devices being adapted for determination of the total acid number (TAN) of the refinery feedstock or product of a refinery process.
Further, our earlier copending application no. PCT/US2005/033247 discloses a method of assaying a hydrocarbon-containing feedstock, the method comprising:
(a) measuring boiling profile and at least one other property of the hydrocarbon containing feedstock with at least two different laboratory-independent techniques wherein each laboratory-independent technique is selected to be predictive of each respective property;(b) transmitting the measurements made in step (a) to a processor capable of reconstructing a determinative assay of the hydrocarbon-containing feedstock from the measurements; and,(c) reconstructing a determinative assay of the crude oil from the measurements. This method can advantageously be carried out using the apparatus of PCT/US2005/033240.